Since Disney acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019, fans have eagerly anticipated the arrival of mutants and theX-Meninto the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And now, thanks to Marvel Studios bossKevin Feige, we finally know when the beloved mutants will take center stage. Fox held the property for several films, beginning with 2000’sX-Men, and while there have been some solid films produced by the studio, having the X-Men where they rightfully belong feels like even better stories can be told under the MCU banner. There have been hints of the X-Men and mutants in some of the more recent MCU releases, but no clear window on when they might fully arrive. With Marvel’s First Family, The Fantastic Four, wrapping up production on their first MCU outing, the Marvel head-honcho hints at when fans will finally see the X-Men follow suit.
During a live virtual appearance at the Disney APAC Content Showcase viaDeadline, Feige discussed the future of the MCU, and that included when fans might see the X-Men on the big screen. The man in charge of all things Marvel states that we’ll see someX-Mencharacters that we recognize in the next few films and that they will really take shape following therelease ofAvengers: Secret Warsin 2027.
“I think you will see that continues in our next few movies with some X-Men players that you might recognize. Right after that, the whole story of Secret Wars really leads us into a new age of mutants and of the X-Men. Again, [it’s] one of those dreams come true. We finally have the X-Men back.”
The Fox-relatedX-Menfilms concluded with the release ofThe New Mutantsin 2020, ending things on a bit of a whimper following the polarizing release ofX-Men: Dark Phoenixin 2019. The X-Men didn’t suffer completely under Fox, however, asseveral solid titles were releasedby the studio, includingX2: X-Men United,X-Men: First Class,X-Men: Days of Future PastandLogan. Those films are widely considered some of the best comic book films released in recent years, but consistency in quality plagued the brand under Fox and that is looking to be rectified with their MCU arrival.
The Stage Has Been Set For the Arrival of The X-Men in the MCU
While fans haven’t seen the X-Men in the MCU in their full capacity, the franchise’s Multiverse Saga has allowed familiar faces from Fox’sX-MenUniverse to make appearances since Disney’s acquisition of Fox. The most significant example of this has been Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool, which allowed for the return ofHugh Jackman’s Logan inDeadpool & Wolverine. This has so far been the biggest X-Men-related return to the MCU and will likely be a big part of their future moving forward.
X-Men First Class Actor Reveals Why He Didn’t Return in Deadpool & Wolverine
This villain made an appearance in the Deadpool sequel, but the original actor didn’t return.
Other X-Menappearances in the MCU include Evan Peters, whose Quicksilver returned with a twist inWandaVisionafter he took on the character inX-Men: Days of Future Past,X-Men: ApocalypseandX-Men: Dark Phoenix. The Multiverse Saga also saw Patrick Stewart’s Professor Charles Xavier make a cameo in Phase 4’sDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, although he wasn’t portraying Professor X as fans knew him, but merely a variant of the character from Earth-838.
Another hint at the X-Men’s future in the MCU came whenKelsey Grammer reprised his roleas Hank McCoy aka Beast at the end of 2023’sThe Marvels. Grammer first played the character in 2006’sX-Men: The Last Stand,and we see his version of the character again after Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) closes the hole in the fabric of the universe created by Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton). Monica ends up trapped on the other side and is reunited with a variant of her mother alongside Grammer’s Beast. This did much to hint at the arrival of mutants and the X-Men and their existence in the MCU, and we cannot wait for what’s next.
X-Men: Days of Future Past
